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NCRR AWARDS DESIGN CONTRACT TO ELIMINATE CROSSING ON SUGAR CREEK ROAD NEAR NORTH TRYON IN CHARLOTTE

February 13, 2008

RALEIGH, NC - The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) has awarded a contract for preliminary construction design for eliminating the rail crossing on Sugar Creek Road near North Tryon Street in Charlotte.

Kimley Horn & Associates is scheduled to complete the design by August, 2008. NCRR will then develop recommendations to build a grade separation; a bridge that carries rail traffic over the road or carries road traffic over the rail. Construction would begin once the costs are known and matching funds are available from state, federal or local sources. NCRR has set aside $10 million for the project. Initial cost estimates exceed $20 million.

The crossing, about half of a mile south of North Tryon Street, is the busiest along NCRR’s 317-mile corridor in North Carolina. More than 23,000 vehicles and 50-60 trains go through the crossing daily.

“This is an important improvement in our program to make the North Carolina Railroad faster, safer and better able to handle more freight and passenger service, while protecting the environment and reducing energy consumption by reducing the amount of time so many vehicles must idle at this crossing,” said Scott Saylor, NCRR president.

Kimley Horn is a full service engineering, planning and environmental consulting firm with 2,400 employees and 60 offices including Charlotte.

The North Carolina Railroad Company owns and manages the 317-mile rail corridor extending from Morehead City to Charlotte. The rail line carries 70-plus freight trains and eight passenger trains daily, removing the equivalent of 762,000 trucks annually off the state’s congested highways. In conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern, NCRR has underway a $160 million capital investment program to meet the needs of North Carolina’s fast growing economy and population.